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Government Relations
E-News
December 5, 2019
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Each week, the Daytona Regional Chamber meets with elected officials and attends numerous City, County and School Board meetings. Below is a recap of our recent activity along with information for upcoming events.
The Chamber is constantly working to build relations with our state agencies in Tallahassee as well as Volusia County entities.
To learn more about the Chamber’s Government Relations activities,
call Jim Cameron at 386.566.2140.
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Cities, County, School Board Adopt FY 2019-20 Budgets
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Each year, local government entities approve their new fiscal year budget (starting October 1).
Chamber staff attends many of these budget workshops and contacts budget directors to get the necessary background info behind each spending plan.
The Chamber prepares
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this budget/tax rate matrix to provide our members a better sense of how their property tax dollars are spent.
Keep in mind that while homestead properties are protected by Save Our Homes amendment, the difference is made up by non-homestead business/commercial and residential rental properties.
Click here
to see the FY 2019-20 Budget/Tax Rate matrix.
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Chamber Presents 2020 Legislative Priorities
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Legislative Committee Chair Phil Maroney presents recommendations for 2020 Session
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The Chamber Board has adopted recommendations drafted by the Legislative Committee (
Phil Maroney - Chair, Root Company
) for the 2020 Session. T
hese 2020 priority recommendations which will include the business viewpoint on education, economic development, city/county capital projects, human services, environment as well as other issues.
Click here
to see the Chamber's 2020 Legislative Priorities.
In the meantime, the committee has been meeting with Volusia's House/Senate members to discuss the Chamber's viewpoint. In addition,
Phil Maroney
presented the Chamber's recommendations at the Volusia delegation meeting on November 20 meeting in Debary.
Note – the 2020 legislative session begins January 14. Volusia Days at the Capitol will be January 15-16, whereby business leaders and community officials will meet with legislators and other State officials in support of projects that benefit our community.
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Volusia Days at the Capitol
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Volusia Days at the Capitol
-
January 15-16
Meetings with Volusia delegation, Cabinet members and key department heads....to lobby on behalf of Volusia County projects.....$75 per person
Click here
reserve a room for January 15 at Hampton Inn & Suites. Attendees may also find room accommodations elsewhere.
More information forthcoming....
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Each month, the Chamber invites State officials, Congressional/State Official Staff members to visit
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Costa Del Mar's Michelle Crockett discusses sunglasses business with
State CFO Jimmy Patronis
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Chamber Chair-Elect Bob Lloyd (Brown & Brown) Tom Self (Sen Marco Rubio), Zane Beard (State CFO Jimmy Patronis),
Amanda Thorpe (Gov Ron Desantis)
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BCU President Brent Chrite, Amanda Thorpe (Gov Ron Desantis), Clifford Porter
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Micah Ketchel, Walker Barrett (Cong Michael Waltz) City's Andy Holmes at First Step Shelter
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Dan Kesling, Kevin Kyle, Micah Ketchel, Walker Barrett at Germfree Labs
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Barry Cotton (Sen Rick Scott) / VOTRAN's
Rob Stephens
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Amanda Thorpe (Gov Ron Desantis) United Way's Courtney Edgcomb
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The Chamber works to schedule these type meetings each month in order to build relationships with offices in Tallahassee and Washington. We’d be glad to schedule a meeting with your office in the future...
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Preview of 2020 Elections
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Congress, District 6
State Attorney, 7
th
Circuit
State Senate, District
State Senate, District 9
House, District 24
House, District 25
House, District 26
House, District 27
Sheriff
Mike Chitwood
$57,766
Property Appraiser
Larry Bartlett
$33,580
Supervisor of Elections
County Chair
County Council Member, District 2
Billie Wheeler
$41,218
County Council Member, District 4
Barbara Bonarrigo
$25,030
County Judge, Group 6
Nora Hall
$11,542
School Board Member, District 2
Volusia Tax Collector
Daytona Beach
Mayor
Ken Strickland
Zone 2 Commissioner
Aaron Delgado
Zone 6 Commissioner
Paula Reed
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Presidential Preference Primary Election
March 17, 2020
Voter Registration Deadline (this election)
February 18, 2020
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Early Voting
March 7 - March 14
Early Voting Hours 8am-6pm
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Election Day (March 17)
Polls open
7am-7pm ONLY
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Primary Election
August 18, 2020
Voter Registration Deadline (this election)
July 20, 2020
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Early Voting
Aug 8 - Aug 15
Early Voting Hours 8am - 6pm
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Election Day August 18
Polls open
7am - 7pm ONLY
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General Election
November 3, 2020 Voter Registration Deadline (for this election)
October 5, 2020
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Early Voting
Oct 19 - Nov 1
Early Voting Hours
7am-7pm
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Election Day November 3
Polls open
7am - 7pm ONLY
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Volusia's School Board Selects Dr Scott Fritz as Superintendent
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Volusia’s School Board has selected
He was Orange County’s chief academic officer before serving as chief of teaching, learning & leading for Osceola's school district which has 68,000 students. He officially began work on December 2.
Heather Vargas, Chair of the Education Committee
was the Daytona Regional Chamber's representative on the
Superintendent Search Citizen Advisory Committee
,
The Chamber looks forward to working with Dr Fritz and his team to make the Volusia School District a premiere place to teach and learn.
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Can Your Business Help with Volusia's Teacher of the Year?
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The Chamber's Education Committee is part of the Volusia Teacher of the Year Committee.
Each of the County's public schools has nominated 72 winners, chosen by their peers, to compete for the honor of Volusia's Teacher of the Year which will be awarded January 17 at the Daytona Beach Oceanfront Hilton.
Part of the Chamber's task is to seek gifts for the nominees...............
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Any type of gift certificates/ merchandise or services for our Teacher of the Year nominees would be appreciated.
This can be one major item for the winner or five items (for our finalists) or 72 items (discount coupons, bogos, etc). All donor business names will be listed in the Teacher of the Year program.
If you’re interested in donating or have questions about the event, please email me
jim@daytonachamber.com
or call my cell 566-2140. I'll come pick it up!
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Chamber's Tallahassee Speaker Series
Resilience - Balancing the Environment and the Economy
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Jenifer Rupert, Ginger Adair, Julia Nesheiwat, Jim Rose
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On November 12, the Chamber hosted an Environmental program ..
Resilience - Balancing the Environment and Economy at Bethune-Cookman University.
Ginger Adair, Director, Environmental Management for Volusia County
discussed how their office has been working on the issue for several years.
East Central Fla Regional Planning Council’s Jenifer Rupert
talked on how the Resilience issue is being addressed via ‘collaboratives’ throughout central Florida.
Dr Julia Nesheiwat, Florida’s new Chief Resilience Officer
, told of the physical and economic impact of sea level rise. She mentioned how her office will partner with the Dept of Environmental Protection, Dept of Transportation, Division of Emergency Management, Dept of Agriculture, Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission and Dept of Economic Opportunity, in addition to local communities and stakeholders to address the issue.
During the program, Nesheiwat stated, “
By 2100, portions Ormond Beach, Daytona Beach and New Smyrna Beach — could be underwater due to rising sea levels (based on 2017 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration projections). NOAA estimates that sea level could rise up to eight feet in about 80 years
.”
Past Chamber Chair Jim Ros
e was our moderator.
The Chamber would like to thank program sponsors
Teledyne Marine, AT&T, Dredging & Marine Consultants, and Daytona Beach News-Journal
.
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Chamber Adopts 2020 County City Recommendations
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Local Government Committee finalizes recommendations
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The Chamber Board adopted the
2020 County/City Priority Recommendations which were drafted by the
Local Government Committee (
Loretta Arthur, Chair, Black Pearl Realty
).
These recommendations which define the business viewpoint, were forwarded to the Volusia County Council, Daytona Beach City Commission, and other local entities as well as the Volusia Elected Officials group.
Click here
for a copy of the Chamber's 2020 County City Recommendations.
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Chamber Organizes Main St Area Walking Tour
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Approximately 20 participants toured the Main St Area
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On October 11, the
Chamber coordinated its fourth Main St Walking Tour. The intent is to bring together beachside residents, local elected leaders, real estate professionals, investors and business representatives who have a stake in how the area fares and the power to help it.
Participants on this walk included
Daytona Beach City Commissioner Quanita May
as well as
City Manager Jim Chisholm, Redevelopment Director Reed Berger
and
Volusia County Planner Clay Ervin.
Much of the discussion centered on code enforcement, need for parking, workforce housing and how to recruit new investors to this area. There was significant discussion regarding Vacation Rental Units.
The Chamber was glad to see several new investors coming to Main St to open year-round businesses and it was good to see city and county cooperation in the vicinity between the Ocean Center and Main St.
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Eggs & Issues Breakfast Discusses Proposed
$15 Minimum Wage Amendment
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AFL-CIO's Rich Templin spoke in support
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Consultant Ed Connor spoke in opposition
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The proposed State Constitutional Amendment regarding $15 per hour minimum wage was discussed at the Eggs & Issues Breakfast on November 7.
A citizens' initiative (Floridians For A Fair Wage) is collecting signatures for a Constitutional Amendment on the November 2020 ballot to raise the minimum wage to $10.00 per hour effective Sept 30, 2021. Each Sept 30 thereafter, the minimum wage shall increase by $1.00 per hour until the minimum wage reaches $15.00 per hour on Sept 30, 2026. From that point, future minimum wage increases shall be adjusted annually for inflation starting Sept 30, 2027.
Our speakers raised some interesting points....
AFL-CIO's Rich Templin
(in support) stated that raising the minimum wage would increase economic activity, spur job growth and help low income workers better afford the cost of living.
Consultant Ed Connor
(in opposition) stated that o
nce the minimum wage is increased, other costs e.g. local rents will increase proportionally, thus no economic difference for the wage earner and that it could force some companies to cut back on jobs.
Florida's current minimum wage is $8.46 per hour and is adjusted each January 1 based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI).
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Chamber Hosts Public Leadership Institute
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The
Flagler County and Daytona Regional Chambers coordinated this
program which focused on public leadership, policy and advocacy.
Daytona Beach City Commissioner Quanita May and Volusia Elections Supervisor Lisa Lewis
were guest speakers.
Mark Mills
was the program facilitator.
Volusia participants included
Loretta Arthur, Adrienne Barker, Ashley Garrett, Melody Lankford, Kevin Purucker, Stephanie Mason-Teague, Jason Frederick and Art Zimmet
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The Chamber would like to thank program sponsors....
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AT&T
Coleman Goodmote Construction
DME Sports
Doan Management
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GDA Investments
Ghyabi & Associates
Vesta Property Services
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Chamber Adopts Position Statements on Congressional Issues
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The Chamber approved position statements in support of the Temporary
Family Visitation and US-Mexico-Canada Trade Act (USMCA).
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The Chamber sees the
"NAFTA-USMCA"
deal between Mexico, Canada and the US as a welcomed boost in times of global trade uncertainty.
Our local economy relies heavily on trade with Mexico and Canada leading as Florida's
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closest trading partners. While this matter is still before Congress, the Chamber remains committed to supporting the USMCA, as it will help generate more economic-trade confidence for our businesses. Though this deal may not be perfect, its passage will benefit Volusia's economy.
Click here
for a copy of the Chamber's USMCA statement.
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Temporary Family Visitation Act (TFVA)
would establish a new B-3 non-immigrant visa category allowing US citizens/permanent residents to petition for family members to visit them temporarily. If enacted, it could enable family reunions, boost tourism and ensure that visits would be temporary and enforceable.
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The US Travel Association estimates that overseas travelers spend approximately $4,200 when they visit the US for an average of 18 nights.
Congressman Rooney
(R-FLA) will introduce this legislation early 2020.
Click here
for a copy of the Chamber's TFVA statement.
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New 2020 Florida Minimum Wage will be $8.56 starting January 1.
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...a 10-cent increase over the 2019 Florida Minimum Wage $8.46 (based on Consumer Price Index).
The current
Federal Minimum Wage
is $7.25 thus the Florida Minimum Wage prevails. Other state’s wage range from $13.25 (District of Columbia), $12 (Massachusetts, Washington), $11.10 (NY). 17 states’ wage equals the US minimum wage.
Source: Fla Dept of Economic Opportunity, Bureau of Labor Market Statistics. Prepared: September --
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Click here
for a Notice to Employees poster for your business.
A petition is in process to add a
$15 minimum wage
to the Florida Constitution for the November 2020 ballot. More information will be forthcoming.
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Volusia County Census 2020
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The Daytona Regional Chamber is co-chair for the Business Subcommittee on Volusia County’s 2020 Census Committee.
During the 2010 Census, 74% of the county’s residents completed their forms. We can do better than that! It is critically important that we ensure a complete and accurate count of Volusia County’s population because millions of dollars in federal and state funding depend on our numbers.
More information will be forthcoming.
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Was your business affected by Hurricane Dorian?
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Over the Labor Day Weekend…..if your business suffered cancellations, etc related to Hurricane Dorian....
SBA can help!
Small businesses and nonprofits can apply for an Economic Injury Disaster Loan from SBA.
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Working Capital up to $2 million (
no physical damage is necessary to qualify
)
Interest rates as low as 4% for businesses and 2.75% for nonprofits
Terms up to 30 years.
Ways to apply –
Note - loan applicants should check with agency/organizations administering any grant or other assistance program under this declaration to determine how an approval of an SBA disaster loan might affect their eligibility.
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Key Upcoming Meeting Dates
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Your Chamber staff already attends many of these meetings. For more information of the key agenda items to be discussed at these meetings, please call
Jim Cameron,
566-2140.
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Upcoming Meetings
- First Step Shelter Board Opening
December 11, 10 am 3889 W Intl Speedway Blvd
- Daytona Beach City Commission:
December 18, 6:00 pm City Hall
December 10, 10:00 am Cty Admin Bldg Deland
- Chamber Eggs & Issues Breakfast:
January 9,
7:30 am, LPGA Clubhouse
- Elected Officials Roundtable:
January 13, 12 noon, Daytona Intl Airport
December 10, 3:30 pm Deland Admin Bldg
- South Daytona City Council:
December 10, 6:00 pm, City Hall
- Port Orange City Council:
December 17, 17, 6:30 pm, City Hall
- Ormond Beach City Commission:
December 3, 7:00 pm, City Hall
- Holly Hill City Commission:
December 10, 7:00 pm, City Hall
December 10, 6 pm, City Hall
- Volusia Economic Report Q3 Breakfast
February 7, 7:30 am Daytona Beach Intl Airport
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This Government Relations E-News was sponsored by
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Daytona Regional Chamber of Commerce
126 E. Orange Avenue, Daytona Beach, FL 32114
386.255.0981 | info@daytonachamber.com
DaytonaChamber.com
Your Chamber of Influence
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